In Acts 6:8 to 7:60 it talks about Stephen and his preaching, then what seems to me out of nowhere it says little tidbits about Saul; %26quot;dragged him (Stephen) out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul%26quot; Acts 7:58 My question is what does that have to do with the story? Why did Luke write things about Saul in Acts when he's in the middle of talking about Stephen?
What's with the sudden topic change in Acts 7:54-60 in the Bible?
Stephen’s Sermon to the Sanhedrin
This is a survey of Israel’s history during the time of the patriarchs.
Why did Stephen preach this sermon?
Remember the charges brought against Stephen in Acts 6:11 and 13-14: First, that he spoke blasphemous words against Moses, he spoke against the law, and spoke to change Jewish customs. Second, that he spoke blasphemous words against God and God’s dwelling place, the temple.
In this sermon, Stephen gives a panorama of Old Testament history. We shouldn’t think Stephen instructed the Sanhedrin on points of Jewish history they were ignorant of. Instead, Stephen wants to emphasize some things revealed in Jewish history they may not have considered: That God has never confined Himself to one place (like the temple), and that the Jewish people have a habit of rejecting those God sends to them!
This really is not a defense. Stephen isn’t interested in defending himself. He simply wants to proclaim the truth about Jesus in a way people can understand.
Verse 54- speaks of the Sanhedrin and the peoples reaction to Stephen's sermon that they had just heard. The people were convicted by what Stephen said, but the prominent Sanhedrin was outraged by it and Stephen reminding them of where they had fallen short throughout Hebrew history.
Verses 55-56- Stephen speaks of his vision of Jesus Christ.
Verses 57-58- Is the stoning execution of Stephen.
Verses 59-60- Stephen's last words before he died.
Verse 58:
%26quot;And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul:%26quot;
Saul stood there as the “supervisor” of the operation. As a member of the Sanhedrin, he had also approved of Stephen’s execution. It was required by Jewish law that he be there and the Sanhedrin witnesses who actually participated in the stoning of Stephen laid their %26quot;personally identifying soiled clothing at his feet as testament to their witness and agreement.
You know who this Saul is, right? He was a wealthy, highly-educated Jew, a member of the Sanhedrin, (their hit man in today's terms) who hated Christians and chased Christian Jews down and punished, fined, and also had the power to kill them or have them killed at his discretion.
Right after Saul left the stoning of Stephen, while on the road to Damascus, Jesus appeared to him, blinded him, and then spoke with Saul and Saul accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior and Jesus renamed him Paul. He became the champion of Jesus throughout the New Testament.
He became the Apostle Paul who wrote the majority of the New Testament books of the Bible.
What's with the sudden topic change in Acts 7:54-60 in the Bible?
The point is to show that Saul (Paul) was one of those approving of Stephen's stoning. Then it goes on to tell about some other acts of persecution that Saul carried out.
I wouldn't call it a topic change. Saul is a primary figure in the book of Acts. I think Luke may have done this to show how Saul changed.
Keep reading in chapter 8.
They did not like what he was saying and did away with Him. We also get to know who was the Instigator into all of this, namely Saul. So What is the Mystery?
Saul becomes Paul later. Paul said he persecuted the church in ignorance, and this is one of those times. Paul later becomes a believer in Jesus Christ and is used by the Lord for His purposes, as all believers are.
If you continue reading, you'll see how the two stories relate.
Because later we come to know Saul became the apostle Paul...
You have to understand that the Book of Acts is really about Paul. The rest are secondary characters. Here Luke is beginning to introduce the main character Paul or Saul.
